I bought a used cluster from eBay, paid $300 USD for it, was promised by the seller that it was in perfect working order, with no display issues.
When I received the used cluster, it was properly packed, with no signs of damage to it or the packing. Even the lens on the cluster was in good shape. I then booked an appointment with a BMW dealership to swap this used/UNCODED cluster with mine. I stood by the BMW technician during the whole procedure. He first had issues reading my car's options into his shop computer. He went ahead and removed my old cluster, and install the eBay cluster. To my dismay, the display was in worse shape than the one on my original cluster. I asked the tech to put mine back, paid 1.25 hours of labor, and sent an email to the eBay seller.
The eBayer is offering 50% refund, and not willing to take the cluster back and offer me a 100% refund.
Im faced with two options. Which one do you think makes more sense?
#1- Get the 50% re-imbursement. Make an attempt to repair the ebay cluster with the DIY on this forum. This DIY is not for the faint of heart, and there are risks that I destroy the cluster.
#2- Send the cluster to an authorized repair outfit, like "VDO", and pay for the repair out of my pocket
#3-Complain and raise hell, insist for a full refund, and give the eBay member a bad score..
Option #3 is not an alternative Im considering using.
In conclusion, a new cluster is $950USD. I figure that even with the repair and shipping costs, I still can come up ahead.
PS: I don't have to suffer any downtime since I have a decent cluster in my car while the other gets repaired.
Your thoughts?
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Daniel Proud owner of a bone stock Carbon Black 2002 M5
Last edited by dcaron9999; 6th February 2007 at 23:07.
Thanks. I just finished printing the PDF guide, but my humble skills may not cater to this type of repair. I will try to contact VDORepair directly and see what their offer sounds like.
I also "signed" up for a group repair in another thread, but the thread seems stale. Here's the thread to a group buy for VPORepair to handle the work. Group Pixel Repair Deal
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Daniel Proud owner of a bone stock Carbon Black 2002 M5
Thanks. I just finished printing the PDF guide, but my humble skills may not cater to this type of repair. I will try to contact VDORepair directly and see what their offer sounds like.
I also "signed" up for a group repair in another thread, but the thread seems stale. Here's the thread to a group buy for VPORepair to handle the work. Group Pixel Repair Deal
If you paid by credit card, initiate a refund through them and have them backcharge the "merchant".
Not sure why you WOULDN'T leave bad feedback if not resolved. Seller lied to you, that should mean full refund, including shipping (although you might settle for cost of cluster).
I just did that through Paypal and it worked out fine. Good luck.
Regards,
Jerry
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'01 Black/caramel
Dinan Stage 3 suspension, SS jet coated headers, ESS SC kit, open brake ducts, Hamann front splitters, TEC cupholder, U.S.(Euro style) tilt/slide armrest, 6k HID fogs, 6k super white low beams, V1/Stealth1, dual head LI, 2.65 diff w/40% lockup/2x dynamic, compact spare, Euro trailer hitch, Mocal oil cooler, ACS type rear spoiler, Rogue custom SSK and tranny mounts, ST 355 BBK (fronts), BP sway bar brackets, Bluetooth retrofit
If it were ME ... I would take your old cluster to VDO repair and have it fixed ...
If you are considering a new cluster, remember to ask for the BMW Car Club discount (they may not even ask you to prove it, although I am a member and checked about 3 weeks ago) ... should bring the new cluster to around $ 800.00.
And, I would write a scathing letter letting everyone know he is a crook ... i.e., liar.
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"The greatest obstacle to discovery is not ignorance; it is the illusion of knowledge."
If it were ME ... I would take your old cluster to VDO repair and have it fixed ...
If you are considering a new cluster, remember to ask for the BMW Car Club discount (they may not even ask you to prove it, although I am a member and checked about 3 weeks ago) ... should bring the new cluster to around $ 800.00.
And, I would write a scathing letter letting everyone know he is a crook ... i.e., liar.
He claims the cluster was in perfect working order, but stayed on the shelf for 18 months. He cannot explain why this happened. Could corrosion be the cause? Could impacts to the package during shipment cause this damage?
Ill wait until I get his cash before I bad-mouth him. I can also give him a negative eBay rating. I will not go there unless I need to.
I am considering the VDORepair option, as their web site marketing is quite convincing. ... http://vdorepair.com/
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Daniel Proud owner of a bone stock Carbon Black 2002 M5
If you paid by credit card, initiate a refund through them and have them backcharge the "merchant".
Not sure why you WOULDN'T leave bad feedback if not resolved. Seller lied to you, that should mean full refund, including shipping (although you might settle for cost of cluster).
I just did that through Paypal and it worked out fine. Good luck.
Regards,
Jerry
I contested through Paypal for a smaller item that I paid for and never received. The seller finally woke up after 15-20 days, and shipped the item.
I might consider doing that, but then have to deal with shipping the unit back for a refund, etc. The nice thing about having the spare cluster, is that I can get it repaired, while I still use my car. The cost for the defective cluster will only come out to $150USD if the seller respects his re-imbursement offer.
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Daniel Proud owner of a bone stock Carbon Black 2002 M5
I don't know if you are still on this but if you are: I've read the topics and DIY for the pixel fix and I've seen an open cluster. The damage does not occur because of the movement in the car but because of the material getting old, so it is well possible that the 18 months on the shelf are the problem.
Did you decide what to do? Do you still have a cluster which you don't use and works? I am looking for one (even with pixels not working) and could buy yours.
My cluster has gone too, in the past month. Pixels are fine, but Oil temp gauge is erratic, OBC display lites dim, and DSC is off permanently (won't activate even if I push the switch). Dealer advises faulty cluster. This one was already a replacement apparently within the past 24 months...
Did you not try BMW NA contact for the manufacturer cluster replacement program that is referred to on this Board? Or did you have no luck? I've just emailed Leonora this week, and hope to have a favourable reply based on the Board posts.
If you paid with paypal from a bank account, you are foolish. Bend over because paypal 'protection' is worthless. You might as well put a paperclip on cash and slap a stamp and address on it!
If you paid with a credit card, initiate a chargeback. Tell the credit card company they can pay shipping for the returned item, but you will not pay to ship a defective item unless you will be reimbursed.
The seller represented the item was perfect. He didn't say "worked perfectly when removed 18 months ago". This is HIS problem, not yours.
If you did paypal with bank, take 50% and consider it a lesson learned. If you want the aggravation, go after the remaining 50% via paypals' process but they will do nothing.
Proud owner of a bone stock Carbon Black 2002 M5
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